DRINKING WATER PROGRAM l-ebruary 12, 2018 United States Environmental Protection Agency—Region 8 1595 Wynkoop Street Denver, CO. 80202-1129 Phone: 1-800-227-8917 Fax: 1-877-876-9101 Web: https://www.epa.gov/region8-waterops msmcom wateh'pwg'WM IN THIS ISSUE STAFFING CHANGES DRINKING WATER WATCH CHANGES HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR WATER SYSTEM'S ON-SITE SANITARY SURVEY HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE PREPARED FOR A WATER EMERGENCY DISASTER? HOW TO SUBMIT SAMPLE RESULTS AND OTHER COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION TO EPA REGION 8 TOTAL COLIFORM START-UP CHECKLIST LEAD AND COPPER (LCR) TAP SAMPLE SITE PLANS REPORTING CHLORINE RESIDUALS SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMICAL MONITORING REMINDER THE IMPORTANCE OF BEST SAMPLE COLLECTION PRACTICES FOR CHEMICAL SAMPLING WHAT'S IN A SAMPLE BOTTLE NAME? ------- Many Community and Non- Transient systems should have updated monitoring plansfor: • Disinfection Byproduct Rule monitoring locations and • Lead and Copper Rule sampling sites. Priorto the survey, visit all of the locations the surveyor will visit and make sure you have access to all of the facilities: • Obtain land owners'permission for you and the surveyor when traveling on or across private property. • Make sure there are no rodents encamped on or around well heads, pumps, sample taps, etc. • Make sure backflow prevention devices have been tested within the last year. If you have any questions, need a survey report or report form, contact Jim Gindelberger, 303-312-6984, qindelberqer.jim(a)epa.qov. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE PREPARED FOR A WATER EMERGENCY DISASTER Knowing that no one ever wants to have an emergency disaster affect a water system, all public water systems should prepare as much as possible BEFORE a disaster strikes. With extreme and unpredictable weather affecting all parts of Wyoming, the first step is to dust off and update your emergency response plan. With the turnover of personnel at some water systems, it is highly recommended that you review the plan at least once a year. An updated plan will reduce the work and stress that occurs when an emergency occurs. Please take a look at the Region 8 Water Operations webpage for guides and templates, and use or modify the template that will work best, for your system. See the templates at: https://www.epa.gov/reqion8- waterops/reportinq-forms-ancl- instructions-reportinq-forms#erp The Region 8 Drinking Water Program offers occasional water emergency preparedness workshops. With local, state and federal stakeholders at these workshops, this is a great way for all types of water systems to become familiar with the process of responding to an emergency incident and establishing critical partnerships before a situation occurs. As part of the workshop, the participants are presented with a scenario and all stakeholders then walk through the process of responding to each stage of the disaster. Past workshops show that it's enlightening to consider all the duties needed to respond to an emergency, and it's fun to work through the incident with other water system personnel and agencies outside of the emergency situation. Remember, if you have an incident that disrupts your water supply or poses potential contamination you must call one of the EPA staff as soon as possible. If there is a drinking water emergency and the EPA office is closed, please call 303-293-1788 for assistance, and let the operator know that you represent a public water system that is regulated by EPA Region 8. As the primacy agency, the EPA may be able to assist you with additional resources. 4 The national EPA Drinking Water and Wastewater Resilience website includes more hands-on information on how a water system can assess its facilities, and plan and train for specific disaster situations. The free Water Utility Response On-the-Go app is an excellent tool that can be downloaded on your computer, phone or tablet. The app will allow water system personnel to: • Identify and contact emergency response partners • Monitor local and national severe weather • Review and complete incident-specific checklists • Fill in, save and email damage assessment forms with photo attachments • Access Incident Command System procedures and resources Instructions on how to use the Water Utility Response On-the- Go app can be found on this website. https://www.epa.gov/waterutilitvres ponse/water-utility-response-qo- mobile-application-and-website. Please consider all these options as resources and guides to be the best prepared water system possible. A plan of action and ------- R8DWU Documentation Submittal Keyword List Type of Documentation Required Keywords Example E-mail Subject Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) "CCR" or "Water Quality Report" 084690000 CCR Disinfection Byproduct (DBP) Results (TTHM or HAA5) "DBP" or "TTHM" or "HAA5" 084690000 DBP DBP Precursor Results (Total Organic Carbon and/or alkalinity and/or UV absorbance) "TOC" or"TOCA" or "Precursor" or "SUVA" 084690000 TOC DBP Operation Evaluation Level (OEL) Report "OEL" 084690000 OEL Inorganic Compounds (IOC), including asbestos and/or Synthetic Organic Compounds (SOC) and/or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Results "IOC" or "SOC" or "VOC" 084690000 IOC or 084690000 IOC, SOC, VOC Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Results (including Water Quality Parameters results) "LCR" or "Lead" or "Copper" or "Pb/Cu" 084690000 LCR LCR Sample Plan "LCR Sample Plan" or "LCR Plan" 084690000 LCR Sample Plan LT2 Source Water Monitoring Results (E. Coli or Cryptosporidium) "LT2" or "Crypto" 084690000 LT2 Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Report (MRDL) "MRDL" 084690000 MRDL Nitrate or Nitrite Results "Nitrate" or "Nitrite" or "N03" or "N02" or "N+N" or "N-N" 084690000 NO3 Radionuclides Results "RADS" or "Radionuclide" 084690000 RADS Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) Results-Tribal System "Tribal BACT" or "Tribal BAC-T" or "BACT 08" or "Tribal RTCR" or "RTCR 08" 084690000 Tribal BACT RTCR Level 1 or Level 2 Assessment "Level 1 Assessment" or "Level 2 Assessment" or "RTCR Assessment" 084690000 Level 1 Assessment RTCR Seasonal Start-up Checklist "Seasonal" or "Start-up" 084690000 Seasonal Start-up Significant Deficiency Correction Notice "Significant" or "Deficiency" or "Deficiencies" 084690000 Significant Deficiency Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) Monthly Operating Report "SWTR" or "LTi" 084690000 SWTR System Changes (Contacts changes, change form, or basic information form) - Tribal "Tribal Change" or "Tribal Inv Change" 084690000 Tribal Inv Change Example subject for an e-mail that contains nitrates, IOC, SOC, VOC and Rads results: "084690000 NO3, IOC, SOC, VOC, Rads" 6 ------- REPORTING CHLORINE RESIDUALS To report a chlorine residual or not to report a chlorine residual? That is the question that we will clarify here, as well as other issues related to chlorine residual reporting to EPA Region 8. If you operate a community water system (CW5) or a non-transient non-community water system (NTNCWS), you should read the rest of this article. If you manage a transient non-community water system (TNCWS), then please move on and enjoy the other articles in this newsletter. Underthe Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §141.132 (c)(i)(i), all CWSsand NTNCWSs across the country that add chlorine to the water supply are required to measure the amount of chlorine residual at the same time and location as the total coliform samples collected for compliance. This includes all routine and repeat total coliform samples. Special total coliform samples are not required to have a measured chlorine residual. We recommend measuring chlorine residualsfor special samples, so the operator can have a full understanding of the disinfectant levels when you receive your lab results a couple of days after the sampling event. However, you are not required to report this chlorine residual to EPA. At the beginning of 2017, EPA required Wyoming and Tribal public water systems to submit a maximum residual disinfectant level (MRDL) Form 2 to EPA Region 8 each quarter. EPA is now calculating the MRDL values for public water systems, and thus the MRDL Form 2 is no longer required. However, in orderfor usto calculate these values for you, you must submit your chlorine residuals with your total coliform samples. After measuring the chlorine residual, we recommend that you write "CI2 residual" and the measured value on the lab's chain of custody form for your total coliform sample. When writing the actual number, ensure that it can be read, including the location of the decimal point. To ensure this, we recommend using a zero followed by a period if the value is less than 1.0 (for example, CI2 residual 0.2). If your laboratory sends the total coliform results to EPA directly, please have a short tailgate discussion with the labto ensure that they will include the chlorine residuals with the total coliform results that they report to EPA. It is the public water system's responsibility to ensure these chlorine residuals are passed along to EPA; therefore, this short conversation may avoid extra work down the road. In 2018, EPA will be reviewing monthly all of the routine and repeat total coliform samples submitted for compliance to see if chlorine results are being reported. In order to avoid unnecessary backtracking and possible violations, please ensure that your measured chlorine residuals are being passed along to EPA in a proper manner. For more information, please contact Seth Tourney at tourney.seth(a)epa.qov or 303-312- 6579- 10 ------- on Drinking Water Watch https://5dwi5r8.epa.aov/Regi on8DWWPUB/index.isp). Simply type in your PWSID to search for your system. Click on your PWSID to bring up your water system profile. On the left hand side of the profile you will see an option to view the contaminants that were analyzed. Contaminant Analyzed Physical Sample Location Sample Site Name Nitrate- Nitrite Rule Nitrate, Nitrite, or Nitrate-Nitrite Entry point to the distribution system, after treatment* Example: SP01, SP04 Revised Total Coliform Rule Total Coliform and E. coli Within the distribution system* Example: DIST- Men's restroom, or DIST-123 Main Street Ground Water Rule E. coli Directly from the well or spring, before treatment* Example: TG GWR - source * If the sample location is the same for all 3 regulations please collect your samples and label each bottle according to the naming convention above. 14 ------- |